Some commercially available 3D printers, such as the Project™ 3D Printers manufactured by 3D Systems of Rock Hill, S.C., use inks, which are also known as build materials, that are jetted through a print head as a liquid to form various 3D objects or parts. Other 3D printing systems also use a build material that is jetted through a print head. In some instances, the build material is solid at ambient temperatures and converts to liquid at elevated jetting temperatures. In other instances, the build material is liquid at ambient temperatures.
Other 3D printers form 3D articles or objects from a reservoir, vat, or container of a fluid build material or powdered build material. In some cases, a binder material or a laser or other source of energy is used to selectively solidify or consolidate layers of the build material in a stepwise fashion to provide the 3D article.
Build materials for 3D printing systems can include one or more colorants or pigments to provide colored printed parts or printed parts having other optical properties. However, many such build materials fail to provide 3D articles having a reflective or metallic-like finish or appearance. Further, many build materials comprising particulate pigments suffer from poor stability and/or excessive phase separation of components over time, including during use and/or storage of the build material in a 3D printing system.
Therefore, there exists a need for improved build materials for 3D printing, including for the production of 3D objects having a reflective surface and/or a metallic appearance or finish.